There are various ways of bringing a golf course to its knees. And then there is the Bryson DeChambeau way.
In Thursday’s opening round, Augusta National Golf Club felt the full fury of a near-perfect DeChambeau demolition job. The most interesting man in golf made eight birdies in his seven-under 65 and claimed solo lead when the weather-delayed opening round of the 88th Masters Tournament concluded on Friday.
That round included 12 drives (in 14 holes) of 300-plus yards in soft conditions with his Krank driver, and 15 out of 18 greens in regulation in swirling wind with the new Avoda irons that he put in his bag at the start of this week. Both equipment are as unique as DeChambeau – he is the only one using the two brands in the whole field.
The world No. 210, and dropping rapidly since his move to LIV Golf, was one ahead of the red-hot world No1 Scottie Scheffler.
To be fair, DeChambeau, Captain of the Crushers GC team that also includes India’s Anirban Lahiri, has been on a tear for some time now. After a protracted period of struggle last year, he won twice on LIV. In his last 11 starts there, he has had rounds of 58, 61, four 62s and three 63s.
He has now brought that sizzling form to the first major championship of the year. On Thursday, he opened with three straight birdies and then closed with five more in his last seven holes.
{{/usCountry}}He has now brought that sizzling form to the first major championship of the year. On Thursday, he opened with three straight birdies and then closed with five more in his last seven holes.
{{/usCountry}}Conditions weren’t exactly conducive to low scoring. Even though the greens were receptive because of the overnight rain, the wind was a constant challenge and the reason why there were only four scores of 67 or better.
“It’s always great getting off to a hot start, 3-under through the first three holes kind of gets you settled. I knew it was going to be a tough day with the wind. A lot of patience is required around this golf course and making sure you're just stroking on your line, putting it well, hitting good iron shots and driving it well,” said DeChambeau, who once said Augusta National played like a par 67 for someone of his length off the tee.
DeChambeau, also called ‘the Scientist’ because of his penchant to gain an edge in golf with the help of science, has lately been obsessed with robotics. Repeating the same motion with his swing – which is the key to a great golf swing – is what he is after.
However, it wasn’t all brawn from the big Texan. There were some deft, long-range putts, and some stunning recovery shots. The one that had the patrons oohing and aahing was his sliced second shot from the pine straws inside the right trees on the par-5 15th, which he nearly eagled after miraculously finding the green. Equally stunning was his fairway bunker shot on the 18th which ensured he didn’t drop a shot on the final hole.
After being forced to play several creative shots on Thursday, DeChambeau said: “Trying to be a robot is always something I’ve tried to do, but it’s not feasible in this game that’s ever-changing. I try to be as repeatable as possible, but just doesn’t happen.
“This wind out here just makes it diabolical and you’ve got to strategically play this golf course. It’s a lot of painting an image and trying to execute that shot out there, compared to just hitting the same stock shot every time.”
A polarising figure who isn’t afraid to air his thoughts and someone who has full conviction in whatever he is doing, however weird it may seem to the world, DeChambeau has a new passion these days – creating golf content that would help grow the game.
“I’m a very passionate individual, and some people can take that in a pretty negative way. It’s a pretty big misconception that I’m divisive. I’m really not. I don’t try to be. It may come off that way because I’m passionate about certain things and certain subjects. That’s up for interpretation and opinion.
“I’m just learning to be myself and continuing to be okay with what happens. What’s been really nice and helpful for me is doing a lot of content on YouTube, as crazy as it sounds. It’s been really awesome to see how I can affect a lot of people’s lives. People are coming out shouting: Thanks for the content. It’s pretty cool to see that type of transformation and change.”
No wonder one of DeChambeau’s favourite content creators is Mr Beast, who has grown his number of subscribers on YouTube to 251 million with a mix of clever marketing, exploiting how algorithms work and creating engaging content. It’s a bit like the golfer himself…leaving no stone unturned in his quest for glory.